Pages

Monday, January 04, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Visit Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers for the round up!

I always love winter break reading. I either catch up on the last of the year's books or I read ahead to the upcoming books of the next year. Some years I do a combination of both but it is always one of my favorite reading times of the year.

This year I read some amazing books that are due out in 2016. All are MUST READS for sure! I feel lucky to have started my 2016 with these books. They all tugged at my heart in very different ways and all are perfect for middle grade readers.

Due to be released February 2, 2016
This book, illustrated by Jon Klassen is one that I could not put down. It is the story of a boy and his pet fox. It is a dog story and the story of a boy's journey and a story of loss and friendship. It is the best of all of these things.

Due to be released February 23, 2016
This book was sent to me by the author (who lives in Ohio--lucky us!). What an amazing story of grief and healing. Told in a story that reminded me a bit of Coraline, meeting Charlie and his sister Imogen as they work through their grief is an incredible read. The way the author puts the issues into a fantasy world is incredible and is perfect for middle grade readers.

When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad
Due to be released January 5, 2016
Inge Maria is a character who will stay with me for a very long time. She has recently lost her mother and moves in with her grandmother who she does not know well. She moves into a rather dull town but brings life to the town and brightens the lives of so many. A great story with a great feisty character.

I also read a 2015 book that I have been hearing a lot about. I am so glad that this was my first read of 2016. I am sorry I waited so long to read it. I have already told so many people about it as I think it is a must-read. This book is about two teenage boys dealing with issues of police brutality, racism, family and what it worth standing up for. The book is written by two authors and is brilliant. I would put this one next on your list of must reads and I plan to read more by these authors for sure.

I just found your site and interested in exploring new children's books. I am sort of addicted to them! I had never heard of Pax before and going to read it as soon as is available in our library. It is on order now.

I've been reading 2016 releases too but haven't seen any of the ones you had. I have see All American Boys around on the blogs and will be adding it to my wishlist. Here is what I read last week. Happy reading!

We're Both NCTE Members

We Are Proud Members of the Kidlitosphere

Kidlitosphere Central: The Society of Bloggers in Children's and Young Adult Literature --click the button to visit the website

We Are ALSO Proud Members of the Nerdy Book Club

Celebrate!

About Us

Franki and Mary Lee are both teachers, and have been for more than 20 years.

Franki is a third grade teacher. She is also the author of Beyond Leveled Books (Stenhouse), Still Learning to Read (Stenhouse), Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop (Scholastic) and The Joy of Planning (Choice Literacy). She is also a regular contributor to Choice Literacy.

Mary Lee is a fifth grade teacher. She is also the author of Reconsidering Read-Aloud (Stenhouse) and has poems in the Poetry Friday Anthology, the Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School, and the Poetry Friday Anthology for Science (Pomelo Books).